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NEWS: 3D Repo announces real-time BIM change detection tool

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Published: 06 February 2018

Web-based solution features a ‘unique’ algorithm that can detect changes between 3D models from different sources

3D Repo has released what it describes as the first web based, real-time change detection software for 3D construction models. The cloud-based ‘3D Diff’ solution is said to detect changes to 3D models, regardless of file type, in real time, via an encrypted web browser. It also allows users to share visualisations with project partners and stakeholders irrespective of location or time-zone.

“The uniqueness of our change detection algorithm means that users can mix and match models from different modelling tools and pipelines and still be able to spot exactly what has changed over time between any two revisions,” commented Dr Jozef Dobos, CEO of 3D Repo. “This becomes invaluable, not only during the design coordination stages, but also throughout construction when contractors introduce as-built models. It is also important for litigation when the proof of who did what and when may result in legal liability and financial claim.”

By comparing the actual geometry of a model rather than underlying, software specific object IDs or labels, 3D Diff can detect changes between models from different sources. For instance, a user may pass 3D models from PDMS to Navisworks as well as to Tekla Structures due to project specific requirements. Without 3D Diff, 3D Repo says there is no way of verifying what data has been lost in translation from one package to the next. The company adds that 3D Diff also runs in real time, regardless of the model file size, so even the largest and most complex projects can be ‘instantly differenced’.

3D Diff builds on 3D Repo’s cloud-based BIM platform and ‘online knowledge base’ that allows users to access, via the web, the latest 3D models and make real time changes. 3D Repo says its platform is different from other collaboration tools as it uses a component-based database – meaning that information is live, useful and accessible throughout the entire project lifecycle.